Virbac

Bertrand Havrileck

Packaging for  veterinary medicinal  products has much  in common with  packaging for  human medicinal products,  particularly because they are  under comparable regulatory  requirements. However,  packaging used in the veterinary  pharmaceutical industry requires  reflection and adaptations  specific to the sector. 

In animal health, our target  is more complex since we must  adapt to the end-users who will  be administering the medicine  as well as to the animal who  will be receiving the medicinal  products. Therefore, the same  product will not be offered in  the same size and the same  container to farmers breeding  herds of food-producing  animals as it would be for  people treating their companion  animals. 

In any case, regardless of  the target; the products must  always be effective, practical,  and safe for both the end-users  and the animals. 

Packaging: A Clear Added  Value 

Since 2005 at Virbac, we have  fully integrated packaging in  the research and development  programs of our new products.  Packaging is at first designed to  preserve what it is containing.  Thus, it will protect the  composition from elements  that may affect its action, such  as light, oxidation and water,  or it may preserve certain key  attributes, such as formula  palatable agents, so important  to treatment compliance in dogs  and cats. 

However, for Virbac,  packaging is much more than  just a container. It is planned  and designed with three key  dimensions in mind: content  effectiveness, safe product use,  and helps to the administration  for better compliance. 

Working on these  three dimensions that look  contradictory complicates  the development of the  packaging. At Virbac, we strive  to make this complexity less  noticeable to the user, drawing  on very precise ergonomics,  classification, and observing  the customer experience during  testing. 

Adding value to packaging  is a natural response to  Virbac’s values, which are  committed to animal health  and welfare. In fact, we  have been recognized four  times at the PharmaPack  awards, particularly for the  Smart Cap, a very advanced  technical cap for dispensing  liquid products. After five  years of research and  development, we  found the optimal  combination  between ergonomics and protection needed to  ensure safe use by the end-users and  their bystanders. 

Packaging R&D Must be Adapted  to Societal Changes 

Packaging must meet regulatory  requirements as well as new demands  from various targets including those  from the Society itself. 

Using medicines, particularly in  the area of animal health, must be  simple, safe, and able to adapt to any  need. 

Society is evolving and what  we know about it is as well. This  is why we consider as a must that  environmental issues should be included in R&D programs. At  Virbac, we are actively looking to offer eco-design packaging  solutions with innovative processes that use recyclable biomaterials  or eco-refills that reduce waste volume as well. 

In our line of business, it is essential to keep an open mind and  look to new technologies to meet future packaging challenges. 3D  printing, for example, is nowadays a tool that is used to test and create  innovations in a more rapid, eco-friendly and economical manner:  reducing the time needed to create a prototype from several months  to a few hours while significantly reducing waste generated during  development. 

To conclude, Virbac’s credo is to develop solutions that meet  quality, safety and ergonomic criteria, to facilitate handling and  convenience for the end-users, to adapt to the animal to be treated and  to conditions in the field.